At the beginning of January 2025 the Puerto Rican artist, Bad Bunny, released his new album “DeBí TiRAR MáS FOToS”, a mix of reggaeton and salsa with other famous rhythms within Latin culture. It didn’t take long for the songs to explode and become a trend on social media, as is the case of “DtMf”, along with “BAILE INoLVIDABLE”.
Bad Bunny often uses his digital platforms and influence to defend Puerto Rico’s culture, however, this new album in particular caused even more commotion than the others, essentially because the singer made very clear that something is happening in Puerto Rico, and most of the world isn’t seeing it.
The conflict between Puerto Rico and the USA
The island of Puerto Rico has belonged to the United States (USA) since the end of the 19th century. Although the island has its own constitution, the power of government is limited and the main government decisions are established by the USA. In other words, citizens can vote on legislative power and the decision of the island’s governor, given that the border controls, international relations and the defenses of Puerto Rico are decided by the American government.
Despite all this, the inhabitants of the island don’t have the right to vote in American presidential elections nor have members in the electoral college. Furthermore, although there are representatives from Puerto Rico in the American Congress, they cannot participate in voting for laws. Therefore, the archipelago is forced to adopt most of the decisions taken by the American government, without having the power to speak.
Many of the decisions made by the government are not always thought out to be applied in Puerto Rico, which, even though it is an incorporated territory of the U.S. and all those born on the island have American citizenship, still has very different socioeconomic policies.
The neglect of the United States towards the island of Puerto Rico has always been very present, the island receives fewer resources and investments from the country, according to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, 1.4 million people are living below the federal poverty line.
LO QUE LE PASÓ A HAWAii
The fourteenth track on Bad Bunny’s album,“LO QUE LE PASÓ A HAWAii” is one of the main forms of protest of this release. In the lyrics, the artist does not want Puerto Rico to become a new Hawaii.
In 1898, Hawaii was annexed to the United States through the Newlands Resolution. Puerto Rico was invaded by Americans at the same time and many Puerto Ricans were used in labor operations in Hawaii. During the Cold War in 1959, Hawaii became the 50th American State. Just like Hawaii, there are many beaches and rivers in Puerto Rico that are privatized to resort chains, making it impossible for local residents to access them.
Along with that, many Puerto Ricans, due to the island’s social and economic policies, are forced to leave their land. In Bad Bunny´s lyrics “No quería irse pa’ Orlando, pero el corrupto lo echó” (“He didn’t want to go to Orlando, but the corrupt man kicked him out”) He makes it clear the pain of saying goodbye to his culture by facing the reality of part of the island´s inhabitants who, despite leaving, dream of returning to their homeland as he says: “Aquí, nadie quiso irse, y quien se fue, sueña con volver” (“Here, no one wanted to leave, and whoever left dreams of returning”).
Since urbanization of Puerto Rico, many species of animals have become extinct or at risk, due to the climate changes caused in the area, one of them is the concho-frog, which is the “protagonist” of the album, that represents the people who are disappearing along with their culture.
In the lyrics, Bad Bunny fights for the preservation of cultural identity and natural resources, reporting the eternal exploration and forced removal of many Puerto Ricans from their lands.
In the perception of a native of the island, Bad Bunny, through his lyrics, manages to convey the pain and despair of having their culture erased, the people persecuting to fight for freedom and the beauty of their land is slowly being emptied.
In the lyrics “No, no suelte’la bandera ni olvid’el leolai” (“No, don’t let go of the flag or forget the leolai”), the representation of the Puerto Rican Christmas song “leolai” calls the island’s inhabitants to fight for their identity amid external intimidation.
The idea of the flag is to remember and mention the “Ley de La Mordaza” in 1948, a law that aimed to suppress the independence movement in Puerto Rico, by making it a crime to possess or display the Puerto Rican flag, sing patriotic songs, among other acts that could give ideas of independence. The law remained in force until 1957.
LA MuDANZA
In the music video visualizer published by the singer’s official YouTube channel, there is contextualization of the current economic crisis in the territory.
Puerto Rico depended on foreign funds to support its own economy. So, some incentives and tax exemptions were created to make the island more attractive for foreign investments.
One of them was Section 936 of the Federal Revenue Code, a measure taken by the US government in order to encourage American companies to invest in the territory, being exempt from federal taxes, transforming Puerto Rico into a tax haven.
However, in May 2006, Section 936 was officially eliminated, breaking the island’s economy, 40% of the companies left the territory, causing large debts and structural problems.
In 2017, with the arrival of Hurricane Maria, a natural catastrophe that killed approximately 2.975 inhabitants and devastated a large part of the island and to this day Puerto Rico suffers from the consequences of the disaster, public schools were closed and there were constant blackouts due to failures in the electrical system. The economy was already in bad shape and it got worse because of this phenomenon.
At the beginning of “LA MuDANZA” Bad Bunny narrates his humble origins and the hard work of his family, mentioning the story of his parents and how they met, until Benito (Bad Bunny) was born. In the lyrics, the artist is proud to be born in Puerto Rico and showcases himself as one of the great names nowadays in Latin America music, reaffirming his roots and recognizing the challenges faced by his people.
The “Ley de La Mordaza” is mentioned again in this song in the excerpt: “Aquí mataron gente por sacar la bandera. Por eso es que ahora yo la llevo donde quiera” (“They killed people here for taking out the flag. That’s why now I take it wherever I want”).
DtMf and the appreciation of Latin culture
It is very interesting to think about how well thought out this album was and how every detail has a purpose. The cover itself where the elements belong to Latin culture. The background with banana trees and the focus on the pair of plastic chairs. Both resources are part of Puerto Rican culture and are found throughout Latin America.
“Debí tirar más fotos de cuando te tuve” (“I should have taken more photos of when I had you”) this is a way Bad Bunny is telling us to appreciate everyday moments more, valuing those who are by our side and each moment should be lived with intensity.
Appreciating the beauties and Puerto Rican culture, the singer tells his people to enjoy the moment and take photos, while the archipelago is rich in culture and so that the history of Puerto Rico is not erased.
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The article above was edited by Manuela Miniguini.
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